Colleges

Skipping Classes: Many high school students say they plan to
attend college but admit that they intend to skip some of the
challenging classes needed to prepare them, a report says.

Four of five sophomores who participated in the PLAN Program, which
includes a college-preparatory exam similar to the ACT, reported that
they would attend college directly after graduating from high school.
PLAN was designed by the exam's Iowa City, Iowa-based developer, ACT
Inc.

But more than 20 percent of the students bound for four-year
institutions, and nearly 40 percent of those headed for two-year
schools, indicated that they would not take all the courses the
test-maker deems necessary to prepare for college-level work, according
to "PLAN National Profile Report," the ACT study released this
month.

"Students don't always think about what they need to do in the short
term to accomplish long-term goals," said Donald J. Carstensen, the
vice president for educational services for ACT Inc. "If they don't
take the courses, it's likely they'll have to entertain the prospect of
doing remedial activities."

Students who are preparing to attend a four-year college need to
take four years of English and three years of mathematics, social
studies, and science, the report says.

"Research consistently shows that students who take the core
curriculum have a much greater likelihood of success in college than
students who do not," it says. "They achieve higher average scores on
their college-entrance tests, do better in their freshman classes, and
are more likely to persist to a degree."

Students from low-income families are more likely than their
better-off peers to have high goals but a misunderstanding of what it
takes to achieve them, said Jacqueline E. King, the director of
federal-policy analysis for the American Council on Education, a
Washington-based group that represents colleges and universities
nationwide.

Many poor students and their families simply haven't had experience
with the college-search process and don't know what type of preparation
is needed, Ms. King said.

The report sees hope for changing students' paths, however. For
example,75 percent of the respondents said they needed help in choosing
a college, while 64 percent said they wanted help deciding on a
career.

Mr. Carstensen said he hopes that students will get the help they
need from their parents and informed guidance counselors.

The report is available for free by calling the ACT at (319)
337-1028.